As we have discussed, LWI has been – and will continue to be – invested in the long term water needs of Haiti. We are working to scale our operations to include 500 well rehabs in 2010. Just as a reference, our programs were completing between 200-300 a year, previously. This scale is possible, but we obviously need your help. As we each work with our constituent base, our common goal is not to see giving spike around this immediate disaster and then dwindle off when the media leaves. Rather, sustained investment in this program will allow the work to continue…. I think of the pressing need for all efforts of on-ground organizations in Haiti to immediately be able to scale, but to do so in a way that is sustainable.

We have found that the migration away from PaP has happened quickly. Our team is currently outside of PaP – and has repaired 9 wells so far (update was as of Friday – work occurred over the weekend). There is a lot of work ahead of us, and we are working to make sure that supplies are on the water to build our capacity. Our teams have reported that there are already people from PaP in Cap Haitian. So, we know from this point forward, work anywhere in the country is a response to this disaster.

After a phone call with our team in Haiti, LWI’s Haiti program director shared that the team indicated: “broken wells are everywhere; they said they could repair wells forever.”

Thank you for your partnership in assuring that long-term water needs are being met in Haiti. I have had an opportunity to keep in touch with many of you, and look forward to continuing to work towards a shared investment in rebuilding water infrastructure in Haiti.

Just in from Stephen H., the drilling supervisor at WHI – our implementing partner in Sudan…

“We are finally finished drilling the well in Muresuk village and let me tell you it was one of the toughest wells we have drilled yet! We actually drilled two different holes. On the first attempt, we drilled all the way down to 100m (328ft) and only found a small amount of water. The amount of water was so small it didn’t keep the dust down as we drilled further.

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[singlepic id=1 w=320 h=240 float=right]Hi Water Project! This is Stephen Huber, Project Manager for WHI and I am happy to tell you that we started drilling your well yesterday (Jan. 7th) in the village of Muresuk in Kigwo Boma S. Sudan. We have drilled down to about 24m yesterday and hope to finish the drilling today. The drilling is slow going due to the hardness of the rock.

Kigwo is the most undeserved Bomas (sub-counties) in Kajo Keji County. It has four villages and only one water well. Until recently, the area was very inaccessible due to very poor road conditions and unexploded land mines. Thankfully, deminers have been working hard clearing the road and another NGO has grated the road and built bridges.

Needless to say, the villagers are very excited! Many villagers have shown up to help and contribute labor, materials for pad construction, and food for the crew. The WHI crew is very excited as well to help these people that have been neglected for far to long. Thank you for your support and we will continue to keep you updated on the drilling process. Please have a look at the pictures that were taken yesterday.